Nevada Governor Sandoval signed significant gun reform bills into law in the last few days. SB 136 was signed on May 27th, 2015. It protects the rights of archery hunters to carry a handgun for protection. SB 175 was signed on 1 June. It makes gun laws uniform across the state of Nevada with a strong preemption statute. The statute eliminates a maze of local government ordinances and regulations. One of the chief of these is the long standing requirement for handgun registrations in Clark County. The registration system was put into place as Las Vegas came under...

Good and bad news for Texas knife law reform. The good news is that HB 905 is headed to Governor Abbott's desk. If only one knife reform bill is to pass this session, this is the preferred one. The bad news is that knife decriminalization seems to have been killed. From texasguntalk.com: In a spot of good news, HB 905 (knife preemption) is on its way to Governor Abbott. Unfortunately, HB 3884 (decriminalization of "illegal" knives) was killed after Senator Whitmire double-crossed us. He agreed to sponsor HB 3884 and hear it in his committee, in order to get...

There are two bills in the Texas legislature to reform the State's knife laws. HB 905 adds knives to the state preemption law for firearms. This will prevent people from unknowingly becoming criminals for local ordinances that they are unaware of. The local ordiances are infamous for being selectively enforced. The second bill, HB 3884 decriminalizes arms that are clearly protected under the second amendment, highly desired knives such as Bowie knives, daggers, swords, and spears. Strange as it may seem, these knives were made illegal to carry during reconstruction in the 1870's, and the law is still on...

Texas Knife Law Preemption Bill Passes House Print E-mail ShareThis May 5, 2015: Knife Rights' Texas Knife Law Preemption bill, HB 905, passed the House on the consent calendar 145-0. HB 905 would rid Texas of its patchwork of local knife laws more strict than state law. It now moves to the Senate. Preemption repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere in the state. Two Texas cities made Knife Rights'...

Texas Capitol Building KnifeRights.org Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Knife Rights’ bill to repeal the ban on prohibited knives in Texas needs your help. HB 3884 sponsored by Knife Rights friend Representative Harold Dutton needs to be heard as soon as possible in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.The Chairman of the committee, Representative Abel Herrero, is a proven pro-Second Amendment legislator and we have no reason to believe he is holding the bill for philosophical reasons, but the clock is ticking and if the bill is not heard in committee very soon, it will end up dead for the session. In Texas...

Every one of the 50 states has some kind of firearms preemption law. This makes perfect sense, as otherwise each town, county, and local government could enact a local ordinance to invalidate your right to keep and bear arms. You could easily be placed in jail for an inadvertent violation of an ordinance that you never knew existed, just because you crossed an invisible political boundary. Michigan has such a law. MCL 123.1101(a) and MCL 123.1102 preempt local units of government from regulating firearms. School Districts are local units of government. In Michigan, a number of school districts are...

A new state law is taking aim at Pennsylvania municipalities that have their own gun laws, and Reading is taking heed. Council members told 69 News that they intend to soon repeal the ordinance that requires people to report lost or stolen guns within 24 hours. "At the advice of our solicitor, we will now have on our agenda to introduce, an ordinance to repeal the current firearms ordinance," said Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, D-Reading.

Gun owners’ groups are threatening to file a lawsuit against the City of Harrisburg in January, if the city does not take steps to rescind its gun ordinances. The group Firearm Owners Against Crime is one of the four groups that joined together to hire a lawyer. The lawyer sent a letter of intent to Harrisburg city officials.

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane is leaving it to the governor's office to defend a lawsuit challenging a law backed by the National Rifle Association that was designed to dismantle illegal municipal firearms ordinances, officials said Friday.

In Pennsylvania, second amendment advocates have been fighting for years to reform Pennsylvania preemption law. State law forbids local governments from passing a maze of local ordinances that infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. All 50 states have some form of state firearm preemption; if they did not have it, residents would never know if they were breaking the law or not by being on one side of the street or another. The problem in Pennsylvania is that the Legislature did not provide any penalties for local scofflaw governments when they break the law. This year,...

A week before Pennsylvania voters render their verdict on his last four years, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signed a pro-gun law barring local restrictions. Republican Governor Tom Corbett, center, stands with his wife Susan, as he answers questions after a debate with Democratic party candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf at the WTAE-TV studio in Wilkinsburg, Pa. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) The bill specifically would prevent local governments from passing gun laws that are more restrictive than the state gun laws and basically erases existing local gun laws. The bill signing could rally support from...

Tomorrow, October 28, Governor Tom Corbett (R) will sign House Bill 80 into law, strengthening Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption statute. This bill takes effect in sixty days. After four years of hard work, your NRA looks forward to this momentous event in a culmination of all the efforts that NRA members, Second Amendment supporters and Pennsylvania legislators finally accomplished. If you are able, please attend the bill signing ceremony with Governor Tom Corbett and pro-gun members of the Pennsylvania legislature. Event details and information is provided below: Bill Signing Ceremony for House Bill 80 Tuesday, October 28 at 4:00 P.M. Dormont...

Every one of the 50 states has some kind of firearms preemption law. This makes perfect sense, as otherwise each town, county, and local government could enact a local ordinance to invalidate your right to keep and bear arms. You could easily be placed in jail for an inadvertent violation of an ordiance that you never knew existed, just because you crossed an invisible political boundary. Pennsylvania has such a law, and it is a well thought out example. There is only one problem; the means to enforce it is weak. To prevent local governments form flouting the rule...

HB1243 passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on October 6th, 143 to 54. The bill adds teeth to the Pennsylvania preemption law that has been on the books for years. Over 50 local governments have made a mockery of the rule of law by passing restrictive and illegal local ordinances. The bill allows member organizations to sue municipalities on behalf of their members, so those who push citizen disarmament (disarmenters?) are claiming that it gives authority for the NRA to sue local governments. That is true, just as the ACLU sues local governments over first amendment issues, or the...

In Pennsylvania, the legislature is looking at a strong preemption bill, HB2011, to put some strength into the Pennsylvania preemption law. Local governments have been scoffing at the law, because it has no provision for enforcement. Other states have had to add enforcement measures to their law for this very reason. All states have some form of preemption for gun laws. The law seemed likely to be brought up last week. It wasn't. From ar15.com, brich2929 writes, on 17 September, that State Rep Brad Roae's facebook page had this notice: We will be voting on a pro gun rights...

The NRA is reporting that an important gun law reform will be coming up for a vote this week. From the nraila.org: Next week, the Pennsylvania Legislature returns from its summer break, and the NRA has learned that the state House of Representatives may be considering a vote on House Bill 2011 as early as next Monday. This critical firearms preemption legislation is needed to strengthen and provide consistency in Pennsylvania’s firearm and ammunition laws throughout the state. To date, nearly fifty municipalities have enacted illegal local gun control ordinances including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Reading and the state capital...

Coeur d'Alene City Council. Idaho, as with most states, has a preemption statute that guarantees uniform gun laws across the state. The laws have proven to be popular in the United States. All states have some form of preemption. In New York, courts have ruled that the State handgun licensing law preempts local ordinances. The laws vary in their application by state. The Idaho Second Amendment Alliance is pushing Idaho governments to follow the state law. Most have been doing so, at least when notified. Coeur d'Alene seems to have less respect for the rule of law than most. ...

The Utah municipality of Sandy City has agreed to stop violating state law. The city had passed ordinances that were clearly in violation of state law. Nearly all states control what power is granted to cities. State power is granted by the Constitution, and constrained by it, as is federal power. Most states have reserved the power to regulate guns to the state level, so that there will be uniform gun laws throughout the state. Utah is one of the vast majority of states that have a preemption law that does this. The Second Amendment Foundation has been looking...

Governor Jan Brewer vetoed gun law reforms that would have held local governments accountable. HB 2517 would have put teeth into the state's preemption law, with penalties for government officials that prosecuted people for violating illegitimate local ordinances. Florida passed a similar bill in 2011 after scofflaw governments routinely persecuted citizens who exercised their second amendment rights. Pennsylvania and Ohio are considering similar measures. HB 2339 would have ensured that local governments who wished to prevent people from carrying weapons in public buildings would have to do more than depend on those who would obey signs directing them to...

Today, the state House Federal and State Affairs Committee passed House Bill 2473 by voice vote, sending it to the House floor. HB 2473 was approved with the addition of a critical self-defense amendment offered by state Representative Michael Houser (R-1), which would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm in their vehicle without having a concealed handgun license (CHL). Please contact your state Representative TODAY and respectfully urge him or her to support this comprehensive legislation! If passed and enacted into law, HB 2473 would expand Kansas’ firearms preemption provisions to open carry and prohibit municipalities from implementing local...

Knife Rights, the organization that is opening up a "second front on the second amendment" just announced that a knife preemption bill has been introduced in Kentucky for 2014. This is from the email that I received from them: Kentucky Knife Law Preemption Bill Filed Kentucky state Senator Robin Webb has introduced a Knife Rights Knife Law Preemption bill, BR 384, for the 2014 session. BR 384 would repeal all existing local knife regulations and prohibit any future knife regulations, making state knife law supreme over the entire state. It also specifically provides that parties may sue to enjoin...

State Senator Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, has introduced a preemption bill for knives that is very similar to the state's firearms preemption laws. If passed, Altman's bill would safeguard the right to carry a pocket knife across Florida. Sen. Thad Altman Sen. Thad Altman The "Uniform Knife and Weapons Act" would eliminate local knife ordinances, which differ across the state. SB 458 would invest only the state legislature with the power to enact knife laws, and allows for civil penalties against public officials or municipalities that fail to repeal their current knife regulations or seek to pass more

Back before a handful of other states adopted “Constitutional Carry” laws providing for permitless carrying of concealed firearms, the practice was called “Vermont Carry,” as the Green Mountain State stood alone throughout the 20th Century in not prohibiting it. Long known for lenient gun laws and low numbers of homicides, Vermont represented the perfect real-world test of economist John Lott’s “More Guns Less Crime” thesis. Which made it a threat to the gun-grabbers… Vermont had also enacted firearms preemption legislation, meaning laws were set by the state, prohibiting municipalities from establishing a “patchwork quilt” of conflicting ordinances that would make...

Image from newsobserver.com In 2011, the North Carolina legislature passed a law to address some of the problems of local governments suppressing the bearing of arms with a hodgepodge of ordinances. A citizen could be cited for crossing a street without knowing that they were violating a local ordinance. The 2011 law removed parks from the list of places where cities could ban firearms, along with a number of other reforms. However, a loophole was left in the law: cities could ban guns from "recreational facilities", which were defined loosely enough that cities banned carry in entire parks that...

Ohio State Seal As with most states, Ohio pre-empts local governments from enacting gun ordinances that are stricter than state law. To allow such laws would make the exercise of second amendment rights a legal minefield, as it would be practically impossible to keep up with hundreds of variations in the law that could make a perfectly legal act on one side of the street a serious crime on the other side. Cleveland challenged the law in 2010, claiming that "home rule" prevented the state from restraining the cities power. The Ohio supreme court upheld earlier rulings in favor...

“First, our constitution…says that the right of people to bear arms in defense of themselves and the state shall not be questioned,” said Cook. ”The preemption clause in our state law…says that local towns like Erie can’t make other laws concerning firearms.”Cook was one of about 80 who showed up to support “Open Carry Pennsylvania.” Erie police estimated there were 15 to 20 people carrying firearms in the crowd, and they issued citations to some of them, noted the Erie Times-News.Rally organizers tried to get an injunction against the city ordinance, but failed.More from the Erie Times-News: Those at the rally...

HAMMOND, Ind. — The losing attorney in a case over Hammond gun-control ordinances vowed to take the matter to the Indiana Supreme Court after a state appeals court upheld a ruling that two area residents weren't adversely impacted by the restrictions because they're moot under Indiana law.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A bill that would void Charleston's gun ordinances moved a step closer to passage in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Friday. House members approved a second reading of the legislation (HB2760) in the morning without amending the bill. A final House vote on the bill is expected next week. The measure would strike down county and municipal gun control ordinances, including those enacted by the city of Charleston in the 1990s, that are inconsistent with state law. ---------------------------cut------------------ Opponents of local gun control measures have tried to get the laws in Charleston and other cities...

The mayor of Oak Harbor, Wash. has revealed to Examiner that he will revive a discussion about the city’s illegal prohibition on firearms in city parks at a Feb. 5 city council meeting, and he will not back down from what could be a political and philosophical donnybrook. At issue is political correctness and anti-gun hoplophobia versus state law and constitutionally-protected rights. The Oak Harbor case is something of a microcosm of the national divide over gun rights. Mayor Scott Dudley anticipates a standing-room-only audience at the meeting because of a recent video showing a verbal confrontation between a local...

The Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation has launched a unique pilot project in Washington and Virginia that advances its legal agenda without actually filing any lawsuits, and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb told this column that he is looking to take this campaign nationwide in 2013. SAF’s motto has been “Winning Firearms Freedom One Lawsuit at a Time” since the foundation’s landmark Second Amendment case, McDonald v. City of Chicago, was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2010. That ruling incorporated the Second Amendment to the states, thus opening a floodgate for challenges to local laws and ordinances that...

The wording of the law seems clear. “Nothing in this section shall prohibit a city or county from regulating the manner of openly carrying a loaded firearm” on public property. Tell that to the lawyers. From the Kansas Attorney General’s Office: “A city may not completely prohibit the open carry of a loaded firearm on one’s person.” From the Kansas League of Municipalities: “Logically, if the city can regulate, it can prohibit. … The attorney general’s reasoning is erroneous.” The attorney general’s opinion that was released Dec. 29 prompted city councils in Wichita and Overland Park to rewrite their firearms...

On Saturday last, VCDL held a picnic in Green Hill Park in Salem, VA. The event, billed as the “Oh yes we can!” picnic garnered quite a bit of media attention. The picnic, which was attended by over 150 people despite the at-times torrential rain, was held to protest a badly worded Roanoke County ordinance concerning guns in parks. The ordinance which I wrote about when it was first brought to my attention by well known gun rights activists Ed Levine and Brian Reynolds is the most convoluted ordinance I have ever read, including I might add those we studied...

On Saturday last, VCDL held a picnic in Green Hill Park in Salem, VA. The event, billed as the “Oh yes we can!” picnic garnered quite a bit of media attention. The picnic, which was attended by over 150 people despite the at-times torrential rain, was held to protest a badly worded Roanoke County ordinance concerning guns in parks. The ordinance which I wrote about when it was first brought to my attention by well known gun rights activists Ed Levine and Brian Reynolds is the most convoluted ordinance I have ever read, including I might add those we studied...

Washington State’s 29-year-old model state preemption statute is definitely under the gun in the wake of Wednesday’s multiple slayings and a string of recent shootings that have put the Seattle Police Department’s skills to the test. That department has been under considerable criticism in recent months, but on Wednesday, everyone from the top down earned every penny of their pay. That applies especially to Deputy Chief Nick Metz, who was criticized a few days ago in this column for something he said. He deserves high marks for what he did throughout the day Wednesday in the midst of a chaotic...

Chestnuthill Township supervisors will consider whether a township ordinance prohibiting guns in the township park should be repealed. The ordinance may conflict with a state law that says that municipalities don't have the authority to limit the rights of gun owners as long as the owners act in accordance with state gun laws. The possible conflict of local and state laws was brought to the township's attention by Brodheadsville resident William Gray. Gray doesn't want to fear being punished if he carries a firearm into Chestnuthill Park, he said. Gray said that, among other reasons, he'd like to have a...

Frankfort, Ky --(Ammoland.com)- Good news! After the disappointments with the General Assembly in the last few years, when several bills that KC3 and other interested gun owners favored were allowed to wither and die without a hearing, this spring has been like a renewal of the spirit of freedom in Kentucky. For the NRA press release about the three bills that were passed, go to this page from the KC3 blog – http://kc3blog.blogspot.com/2012/04/hb-500-is- now-law.html The bill that was most important to us, HB500 from Rep. Robert Damron, is summarized in this way: HB 500, sponsored by state Representative Bob Damron...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- The battle for your Second Amendment rights continues to rage in Sacramento. On Monday, May 14, the California Senate passed two bills that are detrimental to California gun owners. Senate Bill 1315 passed in the state Senate by a vote of 21 to 14 and Senate Bill 1366 passed by a vote of 23 to 14. Senate Bill 1315, introduced by anti-gun extremist state Senator Kevin de León (D-22), is just a stepping stone to completely destroying California’s firearm preemption law. Firearm preemption laws are in place to standardize firearm laws across the state. This critical law...

Guns.com is busy soaking in the sights, sounds (and smells?) of St. Louis at the 2012 NRA convention but our trip to Missouri has also given us a chance to mingle with gun owners, writers and lobbyists from across the country and swap notes. For example, the word on the street here in Saint Louie is that if a new proposal gets wings, NRA members will be permitted to carry their guns home with them, openly or concealed—on public transportation. Currently, Missouri state lawmakers are mired in legislation that works to block all cities (though this is clearly aimed St....

The Cutting Edge March 26, 2012: Knife Rights' Georgia Knife Preemption Bill SB432 must be scheduled for a vote in the next three days or it will not become law. It is critical for you to take a moment and call the office of Georgia's Speaker of the House David Ralston and POLITELY request that he "please schedule SB432 for a vote as soon as possible." That's all the message you need to leave. Georgia House Speaker David Ralston: 404-656-5020 Email: david.ralston@house.ga.gov

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- The Georgia House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee has been assigned SB432, Knife Rights’ Knife Law Preemption bill that would repeal all local knife ordinances more restrictive than state law. The committee will consider SB432 in the coming days. Once again, we need your help to get this bill passed. Your calls and emails made a big impact in the Senate. Now, please call or email and ask the members of the committee to vote YES on SB432 when it is before them for consideration. Knife Rights’ Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, will be traveling...

A judge has ordered the City of Cleveland Heights to pay Ohioans for Concealed Carry’s legal fees after the organization sued the city over its firearm-related laws. However, the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court judge dismissed the lawsuit and ruled it moot in February, as Cleveland Heights took care of the ordinances in question less than a month after the lawsuit was filed. Cleveland Heights was ordered to pay $7,000. The gun-rights organization took the issue to court in August 2011 because officials said Cleveland Heights’ gun laws were in conflict with new state laws, and the city had ignored...

Florida - -(Ammoland.com)- Leesburg FL (March 14th, 2012) As was reported in December, the City of Leesburg, FL has decided to stick by its anti-gun laws in direct defiance of state law and their own city charter. Leesburg City Manager Jay Evans has flatly refused our requests that the city repeal its firearm ordinances, in compliance with state preemption of firearms law. City Manager Evans stated that: “Any action taken in the future regarding the existence of these laws in our Code of Ordinances will be done at the discretion, pleasure, and timing of the Leesburg City Commission.” The City...

Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Congratulations! With the help of the many knife enthusiasts who emailed and called Georgia Senators, the Georgia Senate passed SB432 by a vote of 41-12. SB432 is Knife Rights’ Knife Law Preemption bill that would repeal all local knife ordinances more restrictive than state law. Now it moves to the House for consideration. Knife Rights Chairman Doug Ritter said, “We are very excited and pleased by the outpouring of emails and calls from knife enthusiasts around the country who let Georgia Senators know that this bill was important to them. Thanks for your help!” Ritter also gave...

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes evidently cannot take “no” for an answer. Reacting today to the State Supreme Court’s denial of a petition for review in Seattle’s appeal of its double-loss in an effort to adopt a city parks gun ban in defiance of Washington’s 29-year-old state preemption statute, reported by this column earlier, Holmes told the Seattle Times that the city will take its campaign to the legislature next year. “Seattle sought a second look not only on behalf of its residents but for all forms of local governments in the state that want authority over their own properties....

TUSCALOOSA | Eddie Fulmer took exception to the City of Tuscaloosa’s ban on firearms on city property. Alabama’s constitution forbids local governments from enacting gun-control legislation. But in April 2010, the City Council enacted an ordinance that stated anyone carrying a firearm on city property would be treated as a trespasser. “That’s taking away a man’s right to self-defense,” said Fulmer, a Tuscaloosa firefighter. “That’s the city exercising gun control and taking away our right to self-defense.” Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said that most government facilities and courthouses had “reasonable security measures” in place and that he felt this was...

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming House of Representatives narrowly voted down legislation Wednesday that would have prevented local government officials in the state from passing any gun control laws, under penalty of heavy fines or even removal from office. House Bill 60, sponsored by state Rep. Kendell Kroeker, R-Evansville, got 38 votes, two short of the two-thirds majority needed for the legislation to be introduced. The bill would have added teeth to a Wyoming law already on the books that gives the state primacy over gun laws and prohibits cities, counties and other local bodies from passing their own laws regulating...

Moot, but noteworthy: Tuesday, Natrona County commissioners met in an unusual morning work session because Chairman Ed Opella and Rob Hendry wanted to hit the road to Cheyenne to meet with the Wyoming County Commissioners Association and legislators. Matt Keating had to leave early, so he missed the discussion about what commissioners wanted to convey to the WCCA. -------------------cut------------------------ In December, the Casper City Council passed a controversial ordinance that banned openly carried weapons at city government meetings. Hendry and Terry Wingerter said the city's controversy hasn't affected the county, yet. Wednesday, Matt called me so say he disagreed with...

Wyoming --(Ammoland.com)- As early as today HB-60 will be introduced in the house by Representative Kendell Kroeker (R-Casper) — It will require a 2/3rds vote to advance to committee. Please email your House Representative ASAP and ask them to support this legislation that will put a end to local governments placing restrictions on your right to carry. Wyoming has enjoyed a preemption since 1995, but unfortunately the “local” municipal politicians seem to believe that they hold more than the keys to the city. Simply put, many city politicians believe they are above the law and ignore the state the preemption....

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Contact Public Safety Committee members today and urge them to vote YES tomorrow on HF 2114, the Iowa Firearm Preemption Act. Ask these members to vote YES and support current state law in Iowa code 724.7 and 724.28 that explicitly state that permit holders should be allowed to carry anywhere except where state and federal law allow. Punishing law-abiding citizens that are fully screened and have had extensive background checks by disallowing them access to public buildings is dishonoring to Iowans. It also puts honest, law-abiding citizens at risk of inadvertently violating these unnecessary, illegal laws that...